Country Library Service Receives Many Requests

Press, Volume C, Issue 29513, 13 May 1961, Page 9

Country Library Service Receives Many Requests

Information about making artificial eyes had been sought recently from the Country Library Service in Christchurch, Miss J. S. Wright, the librarian in charge, said yesterday. Because no information was held in the service s stocks in Christchurch, the request had been sent to the National Library Service in Wellington. The Union Catalogue there, which listed the holdings of New Zealand libraries, said the Otago University Medical School in Dunedin held a book on the subject and this hod been lent to the person who had made a request. More information had been sought by the same person later and this had again been found through the National Library Service at a public library. The information was contained in an article celled “Eyes To Order” in the periodical ‘‘Modern Plastics,” said Miss Wright. This request was one of more than 1500 a week received by the Country Library Service in Christchurch. About 500 a week were from adults. Primary and post-primary school pupils made up the rest, she said. From Small Centres Requests last week had come from many small centres in Canterbury, Port Chalmers, Dunstan Hospital, Clyde, in Central Otago, Invercargill, Moonlight, near Blackball on the West Coast. Arthur's Pass, the Hakataramea vaßey, Roxburgh, Queenstown and the Dunedin Women’s Prison. There had also been a request from Wharekauri in the Chatham Islands.

Subjects about which books or magazines had been sought included sheltered hostels or workshops for the mentally retarded, the dance “Riviera,” documents on the trial of Joan of Arc in French, or, if that were not possible, in English, the works of Mao Tse-tung, the costumes of the British Commonwealth, and a history of the bagpipes. One inquirer wanted to know the number of persons who could be accommodated in St. Peter’s Church. Rome. An old book requested was Alexander John Ellis’ “Essentials of Phonetics,” published by the firm of Pitman in 1848. This book had not been found in the Union Catalogue and had now been placed on the book resources weekly sheet of the National Library Service. This was circulated to all major libraries, said Miss Wright. Miss Wright explained the system. "A request comes in and we search our catalogue. It may be held in our stocks here or in our headquarters. If it is not in the National Library Service stock, we check the details bibliographically and then see if we can obtain it for the borrower at the University of Canterbury Library or the Canterbury Public Library. “If it cennot be obtained there we send the details up to Wellington where it is checked in the Union Catalogue. If it is not one of the books listed there, it is included on the book resources weekly sheet. If this fails tc find the book after the shee’ has been to all major New Zealand libraries then th< National Library Service wil consider buying the book for its own stocks.”